Elli Baartman

I had taken a few (free) yoga classes in college and enjoyed them, but didn't really think it was my "thing." When I stumbled upon a hot yoga studio in the spring of 2014, I gave it a shot because I was getting bored of my old routine. After one class I was hooked, and have been practicing almost daily ever since. I quickly noticed how strength through the breath translated to a strong body, and quickly fell in love with yogic principles and how they apply both on and off the mat. I became certified (RYT 200) in February of 2016. After a few years of teaching, I felt the itch to dive deeper and had the incredible fortune to complete an additional 300 hr certification under the guidance of my amazing teacher, Jonny Kest, whose unique style of Vinyasa Yoga, rooted in Ashtanga Yoga, has had the most influential bearing on my teaching, my practice, and my lifestyle overall. In addition to what I've learned through trainings, as well as physically in my own personal practice, an injury suffered in 2017 has given me a wonderful perspective on the power of yogic philosophy - the eight limbs of yoga, the subtle body, the sutras, etc. - and how it relates to yoga off the mat. Being barred physically from performing asana, I grew my non-asana practice through mindfulness meditation, reading, and journaling. Through these practices, I've grown to understand what it means when the body says no, and how one can learn to process and grow from troubling and challenging situations, not only by regaining physical strength, but also by tapping into one's own subtle strengths that have always existed, but needed to be revealed. With this understanding and a desire to share this experience and awareness, I began teaching meditation classes, which I offer to my co-workers free of charge to aid in relieving work-related stress and compassion fatigue. My simple goal as a yoga teacher is to help my students discover a sense of awareness they didn't know existed previously. Yoga is, as ancient teachings say, not a practice of addition - but a practice of subtraction. Through breath awareness and full immersion in one's own sensuality, I simply provide the conditions by which students can develop a deeper level of awareness and equanimity and, through those means, find their truth. Namaste.